Staff Picks
Charlotte Midway
In 1942, a few months after the infamous Pearl Harbor attack and a few years before World War II ended, the Japanese forces were once again planning to stage a sudden attack against their opponents this time near the Midway Atoll. Their plan, however, was intercepted, and the American forces arrived at the Pacific Ocean theater just in time to stop them. The battle lasted for three days, and its outcome became a critical turning point in the ongoing war.
Charlotte says: Midway is a smart, gripping (and fairly recent) addition to the WWII movie cannon. If you loved HBO war classics like Band of Brothers and The Pacific, try this.
Charlotte's Staff Picks
DavidIron Widow
Xiran Jay Zhao
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected--she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead. To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way--and stop more girls from being sacrificed.
David says: This book features big robots, a quest for vengenance, and a fight against established powers. Need i say more?
David's Staff Picks
ElizabethDune
Frank Herbert
Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive.
Elizabeth says: I'll confess I only picked this one up because the new movie looked crazy good. The first few chapters felt slow and heavy on exposition and what felt like a lot of names. But once the story got going it was really good. Recommend for readers of Science Fiction and Sagas. Also if you are searching for a book for the Read More category “Coming of Age Story”
Elizabeth's Staff Picks
Kellie
The Butterfly’s Daughter
Mary Alice Monroe
Four very different women embark on a transformational journey that follows the migrating monarchs across the United States to Mexico. The story begins when Luz Avila's grandmother, the local butterfly lady, purchases an old, orange VW bug for a road trip home to Mexico. When she unexpectedly dies, Luz is inspired to take her grandmother's ashes home. In the manner of the Aztec myth of the goddess who brings light to the world, Luz attracts a collection of lost women, each seeking change in their lives. The Mexican people believe the monarchs are the spirits of the recently departed and Luz taps into ancient rituals and myths as she follows the spectacular, glittering river of orange monarchs in the sky to home.
Kellie says: Like the monarch butterflies who migrate to Mexico each fall, Luz undertakes a migration of her own. Setting off on a solo trip from Wisconsin to Mexico with her grandmother’s ashes, she is on a mission to arrive at her beloved Abuela’s village before Dia de los Muertos. Along the way Luz meets other women who share their brokenness and dreams with her. This is a story of women supporting one another through life's difficulties and the transformation that happens in the process.
Kellie's Staff Picks
Kristina
City of Thieves
David Benioff
During the Nazis' brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter's wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible.
Kristina says: Somehow combining the harsh winters of Russia and the cruel nature of WWII with brotherly humor and friendly banter, this story of Kolya and Lev has one of the best bromances I have ever read. The comedic relief, as well as the absurd mission they are sent on, really help to show the humanity necessary for such a setting without ignoring the serious nature of the story.
Kristina's Staff Picks
Megan
The Silent Patient
Alex Michaelides
Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London's most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia's refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations--a search for the truth that threatens to consume him.
Megan says: The ending on this one took me totally by surprise. The Silent Patient is an expertly written psychological thriller; it is a contemporary story steeped in a deliciously gothic tone. You will find yourself enthusiastically following the main characters as they race toward their demented, twisted and malevolent end.
Megan's Staff Picks
Nina
Paper and Fire
Rachel Caine
With an iron fist, The Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion, forbidding the personal ownership of books in the name of the greater good. Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower and doomed to a life apart. Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library's deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London.
Nina says: The suppression of knowledge. The manipulation of facts. Enemies of the state disappeared. Young people leading the change. The sequel to Ink and Bone feels more relevant today, and easier to imagine, than it did even when it was published in spring 2016. Fortunately the Great Library series is complete, so binge reading is available. It’s the perfect kind of YA for adult booklovers, knowledge seekers and those who ponder the darker side of “What if.”
Nina's Staff Picks
Elizabeth's Staff Picks
Kellie The Butterfly’s Daughter
Mary Alice Monroe
Four very different women embark on a transformational journey that follows the migrating monarchs across the United States to Mexico. The story begins when Luz Avila's grandmother, the local butterfly lady, purchases an old, orange VW bug for a road trip home to Mexico. When she unexpectedly dies, Luz is inspired to take her grandmother's ashes home. In the manner of the Aztec myth of the goddess who brings light to the world, Luz attracts a collection of lost women, each seeking change in their lives. The Mexican people believe the monarchs are the spirits of the recently departed and Luz taps into ancient rituals and myths as she follows the spectacular, glittering river of orange monarchs in the sky to home.
Kellie says: Like the monarch butterflies who migrate to Mexico each fall, Luz undertakes a migration of her own. Setting off on a solo trip from Wisconsin to Mexico with her grandmother’s ashes, she is on a mission to arrive at her beloved Abuela’s village before Dia de los Muertos. Along the way Luz meets other women who share their brokenness and dreams with her. This is a story of women supporting one another through life's difficulties and the transformation that happens in the process.
Kellie's Staff Picks
City of Thieves
David Benioff
During the Nazis' brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter's wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible.
Kristina says: Somehow combining the harsh winters of Russia and the cruel nature of WWII with brotherly humor and friendly banter, this story of Kolya and Lev has one of the best bromances I have ever read. The comedic relief, as well as the absurd mission they are sent on, really help to show the humanity necessary for such a setting without ignoring the serious nature of the story.
Kristina's Staff Picks
MeganThe Silent Patient
Alex Michaelides
Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London's most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia's refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations--a search for the truth that threatens to consume him.
Megan says: The ending on this one took me totally by surprise. The Silent Patient is an expertly written psychological thriller; it is a contemporary story steeped in a deliciously gothic tone. You will find yourself enthusiastically following the main characters as they race toward their demented, twisted and malevolent end.
Megan's Staff Picks
NinaPaper and Fire
Rachel Caine
With an iron fist, The Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion, forbidding the personal ownership of books in the name of the greater good. Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower and doomed to a life apart. Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library's deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London.
Nina says: The suppression of knowledge. The manipulation of facts. Enemies of the state disappeared. Young people leading the change. The sequel to Ink and Bone feels more relevant today, and easier to imagine, than it did even when it was published in spring 2016. Fortunately the Great Library series is complete, so binge reading is available. It’s the perfect kind of YA for adult booklovers, knowledge seekers and those who ponder the darker side of “What if.”
Nina's Staff Picks